LONDON and WASHINGTON, Aug. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Russian businessman Maxim Finskiy has retained international legal counsel to represent him against a fabricated criminal investigation brought by the Russian authorities.

Finskiy, the founder and former Executive Chairman of White Tiger Gold Ltd. ("White Tiger"), was detained and placed under house arrest in Moscow in March 2015, in connection with an official "investigation" into the acquisition of underperforming White Tiger shares by individuals linked to the highest levels of the Russian government.

Facing extortionate demands for staggering sums of money, death threats, and no chance of fair treatment in the Russian judicial system, Finskiy fled Russia after learning that the officers conducting the investigation were acting under instructions from a high-ranking Russian government official who had invested in White Tiger, a BVI company publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Finskiy saw no choice but to flee for his life, his lawyers say.

"The process unleashed against Mr. Finskiy has one clear goal: to steal his assets while he rots in jail," said Robert Amsterdam of Amsterdam & Partners LLP, one of the firms representing Mr. Finskiy. "There was no basis to initiate a criminal investigation or hold him under house arrest over an investment issue, even if the investors were influential Russians. Mr. Finskiy's case is, unfortunately, one more example of the all-too-familiar pattern under which powerful interests instrumentalize Russia's criminal justice system for outright theft, and it calls for further strengthening of legislation like the Magnitsky Act to stem the tide of abuse."

Finskiy is also represented by Harold E. Patricoff, Jr. of Shutts & Bowen LLP in Miami, a Florida-based law firm with approximately 250 attorneys in eight offices. Mr. Patricoff is Chairman of the firm's International Dispute Resolution Practice Group and a veteran of numerous cross-border disputes around the world. Shutts has also retained attorney and former Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart. Former Congressman Diaz-Balart will advise regarding federal legislation and regulatory matters such as the Magnitsky Act.

Amsterdam & Partners LLP is an international law firm with offices in London and Washington DC, specializing in political advocacy and cross-border disputes. Founded by Robert R. Amsterdam, legal counsel to former Yukos head Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the firm's list of client notables includes Russian State Duma Deputy Ilya Ponomarev, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand, and Zambia's President Rupiah Banda, among others.

SOURCE Amsterdam & Partners LLP